Download our updated software skills evaluation form

Need a way to pretest the computer skills of employees or students? This questionnaire can help you determine how much a person knows or doesn't know. We've updated this popular download to include questions about Acrobat Reader and Outlook.

Have you ever wished you had done some homework on your new employees' skills before you sit down to train them? We've got your pre-class cheat sheet. Download our software skills evaluation form and gather information on new employees' technical skill levels before they arrive for training.

Everyone brings a different level of computer knowledge and skills to the table. You can stay a step ahead of the new arrivals by gathering information on their computer skills information up-front.

Know what you're dealing withTechRepublic contributor Matthew Mercurio developed the first version of this form that asks specific questions about a person's technical skill level. We’ve revised it to include up-to-date software and additional questions. You can use this form during an initial employee orientation or at some point before the first training class begins.

The survey asks the user to rate his or her expertise with a variety of software, including Office, Windows, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. To compensate for some people overestimating their skills, the evaluation also asks specific, task-related questions. For instance, to gauge an individual’s experience with Office, there is a question about Word, "How do you set the margins on a document?" and a question about Outlook, “How do you create a public folder in Outlook and set permissions on it?”

Just to make sure we’ve covered the basics, the survey even asks questions about the fundamentals of PC use, including "How do you properly shut down your machine?" and “What do you do if your machine or a piece of software locks up?”

Putting your information to useHaving this information before you start training someone can save you and your student a lot of time and frustration. You won’t have to say, “You know how to do that, right?” and the employee won’t nod in agreement when he really has no idea what you’re talking about.

The biggest benefit is that with this “inside information,” you’ll be able to tailor your training by deleting lessons that are unnecessary or emphasizing information that might be a little fuzzy in the employee’s mind.

Matthew cited one example when he was working with a new employee that had been hired from a competitor. This employee had plenty of experience using marketing software that is extremely close to what Matthew’s company uses. He found that this person could easily adapt to the new software by learning just a couple of basic things. The transition was very smooth, and the employee was productive right from the start.

Download our software skills evaluation formMake your training team more efficient by giving them a head start on new-employee training. If you use this evaluation, you’ll be able to plan for your next class before it begins.

Everyone brings a different level of computer knowledge and skills to the table. You can stay a step ahead of the new arrivals by gathering information on their computer skills information up-front.

Know what you're dealing withTechRepublic contributor Matthew Mercurio developed the first version of this form that asks specific questions about a person's technical skill level. We’ve revised it to include up-to-date software and additional questions. You can use this form during an initial employee orientation or at some point before the first training class begins.

The survey asks the user to rate his or her expertise with a variety of software, including Office, Windows, Photoshop, and Dreamweaver. To compensate for some people overestimating their skills, the evaluation also asks specific, task-related questions. For instance, to gauge an individual’s experience with Office, there is a question about Word, "How do you set the margins on a document?" and a question about Outlook, “How do you create a public folder in Outlook and set permissions on it?”

Just to make sure we’ve covered the basics, the survey even asks questions about the fundamentals of PC use, including "How do you properly shut down your machine?" and “What do you do if your machine or a piece of software locks up?”

Putting your information to useHaving this information before you start training someone can save you and your student a lot of time and frustration. You won’t have to say, “You know how to do that, right?” and the employee won’t nod in agreement when he really has no idea what you’re talking about.

The biggest benefit is that with this “inside information,” you’ll be able to tailor your training by deleting lessons that are unnecessary or emphasizing information that might be a little fuzzy in the employee’s mind.

Matthew cited one example when he was working with a new employee that had been hired from a competitor. This employee had plenty of experience using marketing software that is extremely close to what Matthew’s company uses. He found that this person could easily adapt to the new software by learning just a couple of basic things. The transition was very smooth, and the employee was productive right from the start.

Download our software skills evaluation formMake your training team more efficient by giving them a head start on new-employee training. If you use this evaluation, you’ll be able to plan for your next class before it begins.